Quill-cleaning machine



June 3,1930. G, w UTSMAN 1,761,695

QUILL CLEANING MACHINE Filed March 21, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED "STATES weies PATENT volevi-figer; ,i

GEORGE W. 'UTSMAN, 0F WEST HLLSBORO, NOR-TH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES H. ROBERTSON, OIE.'4 WEST HILLSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, AND ONE- HALIE' TO THOMAS O. SUMMEY, OF WEST HL'LLSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA enum-CLEANING MAHIN'E A y Application filed March 21, 1929. Serial No. 348,960.

This invention is a novel improvement in machines for stripping bobbins or quills and the like to remove waste from the-stems quickly and thoroughly. Another object is to provide a machine which will not damage the quills in removing the short ends or waste therefrom, and which is capable of handling rayon cops as well as cotton or wool quills. Y Y n Another object of the invention is to provide a machine which will do more and Vbetter work with less labor and damage to the will not put any strain upon the steelA ringsv on the head of the quill (which in machines heretofore employed have been subject to strains that loosen them and render the quill unfit for use.) v

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, and

an explanation thereof will enable others to adapt and use the invention. AThe essential features of the invention and novel features of construction and noved combinations of parts for which protection is desired are summarized in the claims.

ln the drawings;

Fig. l is aside elevation of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with the hopper removed and the chute brokenway.

Fig. 3 is an enlargedl detail section on the line 3 3 Fig. 2. Y

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section on the line 4 4 Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the quill about to be discharged from between the strippers.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged Vdetail section on the line 6 6, Fig. 2.

Fig..\7 is a detail section on the line 7 7, Fig. l.

In the machine shown in the drawings two oppositely disposed stripping blades l are slidably mounted in guides la mounted upon opposite side members-of the "main frame F, which may be of any suitable construction, upon which the operative partsof the machine are mounted. y

The inner ends of these stripping blades are preferably notched as at lb, so that when moved toward each other they can closely7 embrace the-stem of a `quill B, as indicated in Figs. .l-'and 6. These blades l can be moved toward orfrom each other, at the `proper times, by means of'levers 2a fixed to shafts 2 whicharejournaled in bearings 2b attached to the side members of the frame F said shafts extending parallel at opposite sides of the frame'. Each lever 2ar has a pin andslot engagement with the related stripping blade, and by rocking, shaftsv 2 the stripping blades may be moved toward and away from eachother. Y

VIn the construction shown the shafts 2 are lpreferably rocked to `move the blades toward each other by means of a contractile spring 2S which. is connected to and between arms 2C on the opposite shafts 2. rI he tension of this spring can be regulated by adjusting the arms on the shaft, or by any other suitable means, so that the stripper blades vcan be caused to bite the stem of a quill-with any desired pressure.

n. further provided with arms 2d which engage vcams 3a attached to atransver'se shaftf,

said cams 3 being so formed that during part ofthe rotation of the shaft 3 the stripping blades will be separated against the action of the spring 2S, and during theremainder of the rotation of the shaft 3 the lingers will be moved toward each other and held against a `bobbin stem Vwith any desired pressure under the action of the spring 2S.

Said spring also serves to keep the levers 2d The extent of inward movement of the stripping blades and the vpressure with which i they contact the quill stems may be `regulated by means of adjustable stop bolts 9J tapped through studs 2P on the frame adjacent the arms 2C, which limit the inward movement of said arms. This enables a stiff spring to be used,and the bite of 'the stripping blades upon thequillstemto be-regulated with nicety.

The shaft 3 is the main or drive shaft of thermac'hineand f is `journaled Ain bearin 3l onthe main frame, see-Fig. 2. Said-shaft 3 may be drivenby any suitable means. les shown it is provided with a fast pulley 3f and a loose pulley 31, which may'bebelted to any suitable driver, and is provided with an ordinary belt shifter 3s.

A quill or bobbin Bto bestripped ispositioned between the stripper blades as hereinafteriflescribed whenthey are separated, and after `thestripper blades have closed thereupon the stem 4of the quill is pushed endwise between the stripper blade by pressure appliedto the small end. ofthe stem.

In the machine'shownthe stem is engaged by a push rod 4C preferably detachably atn tached to a reciprocatory bar afl-whichmay be-operated fromshaft 3 by any suitable means. In the example shown bar Lt is-provided with a Scotch yoke 4b engaged with a crank 30 on-the main shaft 3. The shaft ela is slidablysupported in bearings @and ed attached to the main frame at-.opposite sides of the yoke. :The forward endof the shaft a'inay be attached to a slide bar le supported andguidedon the opposite side 'members ofthe frame2, as indicatedin the drawings.

The push rod et is preferably adjustable and removably connected with the rod 4 and may be changed tosuit the nature or size of quills or cops being stripped. For an ordinary quill Vthe end of the push rod is preferably .recessed to receive the rounded end .of the quill stem andthisprevents fracturingthe stem when the-push-rod contacts therewith.

The push rodwill force the quillfstem between the stripper blades, which will strip the waste therefrom, and, yin the machine shown, the stripped quillis discharged into a guide 'whichdirects it under a circular brush a'by which the bobbinsiare quickly discharged into .any suitable receiver. In the machine shownthe brush 5FL is mounted on'a transverse vshaft 5 j ournaled in bearings feeding thezquills. As shown a feed hopper 6, which may be of any suitable construction, is mounted on the frame and is provided with a longitudinal slot in its bottom Vspace between members Ga ferm a quill guide slot. A number of quills may be thrown into the hopper and their stems will by gravity drop through the opening` in the bottoni of the hopper and will enter and be suspended in the horizontal portion of the chute. 'ihe stems hanging' in the chute may be mored forward along the chute by any suitable means, and the quills will successively drop into position for stripping, each with its head projecting beyond the stripper l lades 'l uur its stein lyii 11e innerside of the said blade-,su ihe heau of the lowermost quill in position for stripping will be support-ed on the inner enr-cs lm of the guides l (see Figs. Lland (3) while its stem rests on and is supported in alii.

,meut with the push rod 4ibv a bai.' t", by which bar the lower end of the chine (la i; supported on the main une adjacent the ,pers. The rear end of the hopper and chute may be supported on the frame by uprights snown.

As the quill passes the curved end of the chute the lower end of its stem is arrested by a pin or belt GU, which pin will. be cleared by the end of the stein when the quill has assumed a substantially horizontal position and can drop bodily vertically into position for stripping.

'llo prevent the quills falling ou!- of the chute as they descend the forward curved end thereof a curved guide bar G is at tached to t e curved end of the chute, as shown. To ti lower end of tl is guide plate G is p gravital weighted reainer Gf which yieldingly engages the head of the quill dropping i into position to be stripped and keeps it in place prior to the stripping operation.

The quills may be fed towarcL the chute beneath the hopper by means oll an endless belt or chain 7 running over guide pulleys 7 on vertically disposed shafts 7", 7 mounted in bearings "in attached to one side wall ofthe chute e, said beit having spaced projecting spring fingers 7C which are adapted to project through a slet (5 in the adjacent side of the chute 6 and below the hopper 6, and engage the quill stems hanging in the chute and move them toward the curved end of the'chute7 through which they will pass by grainy to the et ijiping point. The belt 7 may be driven by any suitable means. As shown the shaft7" of one of the pulleys 7 has a bevel gear 71' onits lower l df,

erably hingedly attached a lll) end engaging 7 on shaft 3.

A rotary brush 8 may be mounted on the shaft 5e adjacent the feed end of the chute, and project into the chute through a slot 5b in the side thereof, as shown in Fig. l to assist in feeding and positioning the quills in the chute. When the .pusher rod lis retracted out of its way the lowerinost quill in the chute drops into position for stripping. vTo prevent the pusher rod simultaneously engaging two quill stems and to certainly position the stem of the lower quill so it will be properly engaged by the pusher, I provide quill positioning means. In the construction shown this means coinprises a reciprocable rod 9 the inner end of which is adapted to be entered into the chute through an opening 6W in the side thereof. The rod is bent at 9a in such a a correspondingly beveled gear manner that when it is moved inward thisV bend will cause the inner end of the rod to raise after it is entered into the chute,

nected with an arm 2e on the adjacentroclr shaft and is moved thereby at the'proper times into and out of the chute. kThe lowermost quill drops into position for strippingV when the pusher .4, rod 9 and stripping plates l are retracted out of the way. VThen the pusher starts forward, and before it engages tlie stem, the positioniiigmember 9 moves inward and its inner end will first en gage the stem of tlielowerinost quill, and hold itin position for engagement by the pusher; and before'the pusher engages the stein the positioning member 9 moving inward lifts the stem of the next overlying quill upward and holds it raised so it can `not be engaged by the pusher when the latter engages the lowermost quill.

In operation a number of quills to be f stripped are dumped into the hopper; and

naturally the stems ofthe lowermostquills drop through the slot into the Vchute when their heads rest on the upper edges Vof the chute. The quills depending into the chute l; are advanced towards the curved end of the chute by the lingers on the belt 7, and will drop by gravity at the curved end of the chute to the bottom thereof.l Assuming that the pusher l and positioning member 9 and stripping blades l have been retracted out of the way and the lowermost quill in position for stripping; the pusher bar starts toward the quill but before it reaches it the stripping fingers lare moved inward and grip the stem of the bobbin just behind its head, see Figs. 2 and il, then the member 9 positions the stem of the lowermost quill and raises the stein of the next superimposed quill out of the way; then the pusher engages the stem of the quill and forces it head firstbetween` thestripping blades l and towards the brush 5. As the stein is thus Vforced'outward the waste thereonis stripped, off of it by the blades 1 and falls' sill; or rayon cops `or quills, the stripping blades l are preferablymade ofwood, and lighter pressure employed to prevent injury to the stems of the cops, and also to prevent the'blades becoming clogged with silk fibre which has a tendency to adhere to metal stripping blades, such as are used Y with cotton'yarns.

l. In a quill cleaning machine strippers adapted to engage the stem of the quill, means adapted to engage the stem of the quill and push it between the strippers, means for feeding quills to the strippers, and a reciprocatory member adapted to raise the stem of aquill overlying the quill'in stripping position to prevent the raised stem being engaged by the pusher. i

2. In a quill cleaning machine strippers adapted to engage the stem of the quill behind the head thereof, means adapted to engage the stem of the quill and push it between the strippers, means for opening the strippers to receive a quill when the pusher is retracted, and means for closing thel strippers upon the quill before the pusher pushesthe quill therebetween; with a rotary brush for assisting in feeding the quills to stripping position and a rotary brush forv removing 'and discharging the stripped quill after it passes the stripping device. y v

3. In a quill cleaning machine, strippers adapted to engage the stein of the quill behind the head thereof, means adapted to engage the stem of the quill'and push it between the strippers, means for opening the is retracted, means for closing the strippers upon the quill before the pusher forces the quill therebetweenmeans for feeding quills tothe strippers, and areciprocating angular rod adapted to raise the stem of a quill overlying the quill in stripping position so that said stem will not be engaged byY the pusher.

Ll. In a quill cleaning machine of the character specified quill strippers adapted to nip adapted to engage the stein of the quill and push it between' the strippers to remove the adhering threads therefrom, a chute for directing quills to the strippers, and a device adapted to lift the stem of a quill overlying thequill in position to be stripped and prevent said stem being engaged by the pusher.

5. In a quill cleaning machine of the character specified, quill strippers adapted to nip a quill behind the head thereof, means for separating the strippers to admit a quill therebetween, means for positioning the quill between the strippers, a pusher adapted to engaged the stem of the quill and push it between the stripper to remove the adhering threads therefrom, means for reciprocating the pusher to and from the strippers, means for opening the strippers to receive a quill when the pressure is retracted, means for closing the strippers upon the quill before the pusher is advanced, a chute for directing quills to the strippers, and a device adapted to lift the stem of a quill overlying the quill in position to be stripped and prevent said stem being engaged by the pusher.

6. In a quill cleaning machine asset forth in claim 5 a rotary brush assisting in feeding the quills to stripping position; and a rotary brush for removing the stripped quills.

7. In a quill cleaning machine; a feed chute for directing quills to the strippers, a rotary brush at right angles to the chute and adjacent the discharge end thereof for moving the quills to stripping position, strippers adapted to engage the stem of the quill behind the head thereof, means adapted to engage the quill and move it between the strippers; and means for discharging the stripped quill.

8. In a quill cleaning machine; means for feeding quills, strippers adapted to engage a quill behind the head thereof, means for positioning a quill between the strippers, a pivoted gravital Weight adapted to engage the head of the quill and retain it in stripping position; a pusher rod adapted to push the quill past the Weight and between the strippers, means for reciprocating the pusher rod, rock shafts operatively connected with the strippers, cams for operating the rock shafts to separate the strippers When the pusher is retracted, and spring means for operating the rock shafts to close the strippers-upon a quill before and While the pusher engages the quill.

GEORGE W. UTSMAN. 

